Well, I think I can state with some confidence that I'm taking three reads into November:Dracula by Bram StokerA Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
& tonight I'm starting the third, Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism by Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden.

Well at 30 and after reading 100's of Fantasy books , today I started Lord of the Rings for the first time.

Whaaaaaaaa! *open mouth with tongue sticking out*

Finished Wurts' To Ride Hell's Chasm. It's a stand-alone fantasy (about as unusual as the above) and really well done. It's slow moving as is Wurts' style, but you get so close to the characters through all the descriptions of their emotions and banterings. I always thought the "To Ride" part was a bit much, why not just "Hell's Chasm," but after having finished, I can say that it definitely belongs.

Started Courtney Schafer's The Tainted City, sequel to the excellent The Whitefire Crossing.

I finished Sharps by K J Parker. Loved it: it includes most of the favorite themes of the author regarding technology, weapons and armour and her trademark shockers in terms of moraly repugnant actions from main characters and some wholesale slaughter. What novel brings new to her style is more focus on group dynamics instead of solitary twisted heroes, presenting an improvised national fencing team of five people forced into close proximity and having to deal with life threatening crisis almost on a daily basis. I also noticed a tighter plot and a more upbeat ending for an author who usually closes the stories with a note about the futility of the struggle. So, I would consider Sharps a good entry point for new readers curious about the author and willing to give it a try.

I have a lot of 2012 books I would like to read before the end of the year, and can't decide which one is next: The Tainted City, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Throne of the Crescent Moon, Blood Song, The Twelve (Cronin), Red Knight, Some Kind of Fairy Tale, Sacre Bleu. I'm afraid some will slip into 2013. For the moment I'm relaxing with some P G Wodehouse.

Read Magebane by Lee Arthur Chane. It was good in all aspects excpet the writing was weak. Each major character when indroduced when through a 2-3 page thought process where you get their back story which seemed clumsy. Otherwise it was a nice light fantasystandalone. I searched Magebane and found no mention of the book in this forum.

I was going OK on M John Harrison's Viriconium - the first story (The Pastel City) held my interest with the skillful painting of an oppressed world and the characters within, but by the second story the writing became much more oblique and unfocussed, and I found it hard to follow the story. A bit similar to some of China Mieville's more baroque offerings.

Anyway, I've put it down for now to continue in the near future - from what I've read the stories towards the end are the better ones...

I was going OK on M John Harrison's Viriconium - the first story (The Pastel City) held my interest with the skillful painting of an oppressed world and the characters within, but by the second story the writing became much more oblique and unfocussed, and I found it hard to follow the story. A bit similar to some of China Mieville's more baroque offerings..

Exactly what happened to me. That combined with how Harrison tells readers why they should and shouldn't read fantasy have put me off of his writing for the near and long future.

I'm curently reading Zoo City by Lauren Buekes. I like it at least OK. It's certainly got a nice originaly, fresh feel to it. I think my overall enjoyment will hinge on how ends though. I need to write up a review for Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht - it was excellent. Maybe the best book I've read this year, and I've read a lot of good books this year.

I'm not sure what will be next. Red Country is very tempting, but then everyone is reading/reviewing it these days, so I may wait a while on it. I'm fairly tempted to read City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte or maybe Stray Souls by Kate Griffin - I'm hesitant on the later because I haven't yet read all of the Matthew Swift books by Griffin and I don't know if Stray Souls has any big spoilers in it or not - it's supposed to not be a sequel, but it's set in the same 'world' and Matthew Swift at least has a cameo role.